Rise of the socially responsible employee
Volunteering is coming of age as organisations are leveraging talent to reach out to underprivileged communities
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives are increasingly touching numerous underprivileged communities ever since the government mandated a minimum CSR spending (2% of average profits of the past three years) for corporations above a certain size in the social sector. Corporates too are now making use of their skilled workforce to reach out to and support communities. NGOs now have access to accounting experts who help put their financial systems in order, communication strategists set-up their communication strategy, IT experts design websites and business analytics experts set-up intelligent command centres for smarter disaster management for a city.
Deloitte has adopted a strategy, Community – It’s Our Business. The company’s employees have volunteered to work for NGOs, government schools, a police academy, an old-age home, hospitals and monuments. They have also coached teachers to improve engagement with students. Almost 80% of the skill-based volunteering initiatives taken up by the company are oriented towards education. According to SV Nathan, senior director and chief talent officer, Deloitte in India, “the objective of our efforts is to improve the employability of the workforce and sustainability of the NGOs.”
Deloitte employees from the communication department undertook English proficiency classes for Centre for Social Service, Hyderabad, where young girls are taught how to face interviews and get jobs. The audit function/tax team prepared tutorial videos for use by girls studying BCom and MCom.
For the LV Prasad Foundation linked to the LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, Deloitte professionals made an audio recording of books to support visually challenged children.
Employees who participate in volunteering activities are suitably rewarded, says Nathan. During appraisal they get to fill a self-assessment form and list their goals and achievements. The activities section gives details of their contribution as trainers. This for the company is an indication that these employees are leaders who have to be rewarded with interesting projects. They are also invited to meet global leaders of the organisation who drop in for visits.
IBM’s Corporate Service Corps programme helps in creating global leaders who are culturally aware and possess advanced teaching skills.
In India, IBM’s team of three top talent employees with skills in Cloud, data analytics and project management worked with an educational institution in Varanasi to develop a data management and communication strategy. This helped the institute strengthen its presence in social media through cost- effective and uniform method of communication both internally and externally.
IBM’s Smarter Cities Challenge uses skills and expertise of its top talent to address critical challenges facing cities around the world. Teams of executives, subject matter experts and other top talent work closely for three weeks with city leaders and deliver recommendations on how to make the city smarter and more effective. Past recipients of the Smart Cities Challenge grant in India are Delhi, Ahmedabad, Pune, Chennai, Vizag and Allahabad. “IBM deployed six executives from different countries and joined hands with the district collector’s office in Visakhapatnam to develop a plan for efficient disaster management. Leaders from the business analytics and strategy vertical of IBM in India were involved to develop a plan. They leveraged IBM’s organisational change practice skills to help develop a strategy to set-up an intelligent integrated command centre for smarter disaster management,” says Mamtha Sharma, leader, corporate citizenship and corporate affairs, IBM.
The IBM team helped Visakhapatnam develop an efficient emergency communication system that will disseminate information to all stakeholders during and after a disaster such as Hudhud, the tropical cyclonic storm which had caused extensive damage to the city in 2014. Better coordination will help the city become functional more quickly after storms of severe intensity.
At Infosys, employees use their technological skills to promote computer literacy and education through a programme labelled SPARK. It’s a day-long initiative aimed at raising the aspirations of students across the country. Awareness about computers and the power of IT is promoted among rural school children in India. Some of the company’s employees in Hyderabad have also collaborated with the local police division to build a traffic management related application.
According to Rajeev Kapoor, executive director, finance and India Champion, Dell Giving Initiatives, about 40%, up from 25% last year, volunteering in the company is done through skillbased volunteerism. Members of the R&D team have dedicated their weekends to help underprivileged kids, and train them in vocational skills and resume writing. Another group from the analytics team teaches math to underprivileged children and imparts basic computer training such as MS Office and Windows to them. Another group helps children bring apart computers and put them back together. These kids are provided training in warranty servicing and providing after sales support for laptops.